Wheel-brake for vehicles.



PATENTED MAR. 5, 1907.

11. T. LOHNES. WHEEL BRAKE FOR VBHIGLES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 9,1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

qxlitnzawo wawma;7nm Mum $45 54 No. 846,038. PAT-ENTBD MAR. 5, 1907.

- D.T.LOHNES.

WHEEL BRAKE- FOR VEHICLES. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 9.1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

5. 7.7 q- .g. Prg H 10. 1 1- 47;

, wnwum )2 I "4M4 1n: nonms PETERS ca, wunnycron, n c.

UNITED STATES DAVID. T. LOHNES, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

WHEEL-BRAKE FOR VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 5, 1907.

Application filed November 9. 1905. Serial No. 286,553.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DAVID T. LOI-INES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in VVheel-Brakes for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification. 1 v

My invention relates to improvements in wheel-brakes for vehicles, and has reference to a means for operating the brake by movement of the tongue.

The object of the invention is to provide a brake for vehicles, especially for draftwagons, which will be actuated wholly by the draft of the vehicle-tongue and not to be manipulated by the driver or any person, and in this respect the action may be called automatic.

The devices are simple in construction, and the novel means employed are fully de scribed herein and illustrated by the draw ings, wherein- Figure 1 represents a perspective view of the axle, hounds, and tongue of a wagon, showing also parts of devices employed and their relative position, and especially to show location of several levers. Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively vertical front and side views of the brake-shoe. Fig. 4 represents a vertical side view of the invention as mounted upon a wagon-wheel, parts of the latter being broken away to permit a proper view of the parts. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of levers. Fig. 6 is a perspective view to show location of slots; and Figs. 7 to 11, inclusive, are employed to illustrate operation of brakeshoes when actuated by various devices, Figs. 7, 8, and 9 representing the rear, and Figs. 10 and 11 the front portions of a front wagonavheel.

I mount slidably the arms 1 and 2 of the tongue-head 3 within the arms 4 and 5 of the front gear of the hounds of a vehicle by means of the tongue-rod 6. (Best shown by Fig. 1.) The rod 6 is constructed rigidly with arms 1 and 2 of the tongue-head 3 and extends parallel with the axle 7, its ends resting within the slots 8 and 9 of arms 4 and 5 of the hounds.

The tongue 10 extends allel with arms 4 and 5 of passes to the cross-bar 1.1, to which it is constructed rigidly, the latter being a part of the tongue-head 3. An opening 12 is constructed vertically within this part of the tongue substantially parthe hounds, and it to accommodate therein the end 13 of lever 14. Lever 14 occupies substantially a vertical position and is pivotally mounted near its center upon the sustaining-rod 15, its lower end 16 being pivotally mounted upon the longitu(finally-extending rods 17 and 18, its upper end 13 also having a pivotal mounting upon the tongue-rod 6 within the opening 12.

Upon the lower surface of the hounds and mounted rigidly thereon are the angle-irons 20, provided with convenient openings 21 and 22, and extending to the rear of axle 7 are the arms 23 and 24 of the vehicle-hounds.

I provide the link 25, preferably constructed of one integral iron rod bent at its center to form a U-shaped crank 26 and bent transversely at each end to form the cranks 27 and 28 and the horizontally-extending shoe-supports 29 and 30, and mount the link 25 pivotally in any suitable manner upon the arms 23 and 24 of the hounds, and I mount the brakeshoes 31 upon the shoe-supports 29'and 30. I construct a similar link 32 with a similar U-shaped crank 33 with end cranks 34 and 35, each adapted to support a brake-shoe 31 upon the horizontally-extending shoe-supports 36 and 37. The link 32 is pivotally mounted within the openings 22 of the angleirons 20, supported upon the arms 4 and 5. I provide the narrow lengthwise-extending slot 38 between the adjacent faces of, respectively, the tongue-head 3 and arms 4 and 5.

As thus constructed the tongue and head 3 are mounted in a manner to have a swin ing movement upon the tongue-rod 6 and, together with rod 6, is adapted to have a limited lengthwise movement upon the arms 4 and 5 of the hounds, this movement being measured by the length of the slots 8 and 9, and this movement will cause a reverse lengthwise movement of rods 17 and 18, since lever 14 has a central pivotal mounting upon rod 15, and a movement of links 17 and 18 will cause a corresponding movement of the angularly-formed shoe-supports at the extremi ties of links 25 and 32, as is evident.

I construct the brake-shoe 31 with the opening 42, adapted to swing or rotate upon each. shoe-support 29, 30, 36, and 37, but confined by the head 39. The brake-shoes are similar and when in position are'adapted to make contact with the tire in front and rear of each front wheel. The shoe has a rounded head 40, the eye 42 being eccentrically po sitioned near the curved rear wall of the rounded head. The shoe has also a curved front surface 4.1, correspondingto the curve of the wheel-tire, and when in a normal position, as when driving upon a level roadway, the rear brake-shoe hangs dependingly and closely adjacent to the convex surface of the tire, as shown by Fig. 7.

The contact of the brake-shoes is below the upright center of the wheels, and in operation when going down an incline the holdback action of the team communicated from the neck-yoke causes a backward movement of the tongue, and the shoes at the rear will be pressed against the wheel-tire in a very ef fective manner. Since the movement of the wheel at this time is forwardly, or in a direc tion indicated by the arrow in Figs. 7 and 8, action comes upon the whole concave surface -11 of the shoes. The lower surface of the shoe is first engaged and pressed upwardly toward the rounded head, and friction is therefore added to the shoe-pressure in causing a comression of the shoe with the wheel, the result being that the braking effect of these rear brake-shoes when going down an incline is in proportion to the degree of force applied to the slidable tongue in a backward direction at that time, and this is a desired result, since a slight downward incline is not important, while a steep incline or a heavy load moving-down any incline would require a greater frictional contact of the brake and .wheel surface, and in this manner the rear brake-shoes act in a manner which might be callec automatic, requiring no attention from the driver, and being particularly useful where, as in a load of hay or other bulky product, the ordinary brake is not available.

In backing a vehicle a pressure in a backward direction is applied to the tongue, similar to that applied when moving down an incline; but the revolving movement of the Wheel at this time is a reverse direction and is in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 9, and while the rear brake-shoes at time of backing are compressed by action of the levers in a direction toward and against the tire there is no obstruction offered to a backward movement of the vehicle, because rotation comes first upon the rounded head of the shoe, the effect being to simply throw or rotate the body of the shoe in a direction away from the convex surface of the tire, as shown by Fig. 9. The space between the eye 412 of the shoe and the circumjacent walls thereof being somewhat greater upon the side which 1 contacts with the wheel than the opposite side the backward movement of the vehicle caused by pressing backward upon the slidable tongue causes the head 10 to roll upon the tire, and friction of the concave surface 41 of the shoe is not obtained, and consequently there is no obstruction to such backward movement.

l l l The function performed by the rear brakeshoes is very effective, since friction of the tiresurface upon surface 11 of the brake-shoes adds to the compression made by the levers, and the braking or resisting effect of the shoe from this gear is therefore much greater than the pressure of ordinary brake-gears, the re sult answering all requirements, as I have found from experience. The function of the front brake-shoes in my invention is not so important, these front brakes being useful only while ascending an incline. It very often happens, however, while ascending a long hill with a loaded wagon that it is desirable to allow a temporary rest, and the wheels are effectively locked at this time by opera tion of the front brake-shoes, the team causing at this time a forward strain upon the tongue which produces a compression of the front brake-shoes upon the front surfaces of the tires. The wheels are allowed to rotate backward a slight degree, as shown by the direction of the arrow in Fig. 11. This causes the brake to arrest any further rotation and effectively brakes the wheel from backing down the hill. Upou resuming the travel uphill the wheel rotates, as shown by Fig. 10, thereby releasing the front brake, and in this manner the invention is useful by employing the front brakes for the above purpose.

While moving forwardly, the operation of the slidable tongue and the levers connected therewith causes the rounded head 40 of the front brake-shoes to be pressed against the wheel-tires. Since the wheel at this time is moving forwardly, or in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 10, the pressure comes first upon the rounded head. The eye of the head being eccentrically formed, as already explained, the result is simply a rolling movement of the head, and the concave surface 41 does not make contact with the tire, as will be understood from former descriptions, and a forward movement of the vehicle is not prevented, therefore, from operation of the front brake-shoes.

I prefer the use of round rods in my construction. The rods 17 and 18 must be of sufficient capacity to operate levers 25 and 32 without bending, and the arm 13 of lever 14 is preferably longer than arm 16, so that a greater power may be communicated by the sliding action of the tongue, and various minor details of construction may be changed, as is obvious, without departing from the scope of the invention.

. What I claim as my invention is 1. The combination, with the front axle, the slotted hounds and the slidably-mounted tongue between the slotted hounds, of a transversely-mounted sustaining-bar upon tral crank-lever; an angularly-formed shoesupport on each of said end cranks; a vertically-disposed lever upon said sustaining-rod having an upper end pivotally mounted upon said slidably-mounted tongue; links placed end to end each having an outer end connected with one of said central crank-levers their inner ends being connected with the lower end of said vertically-disposed lever; brake-shoes mounted upon said angularlyformed shoe-supports, and a transverselydisposed tongue-rod on said slidably-mount ed tongue and seated within the slots of the hounds.

2. The combination with the front axle, the slotted hounds and the slidably-m'ounted tongue between the slotted hounds, of a transversely-mounted sustaining-bar upon said slotted hounds; a link extending on each side of and substantially parallel with said front axle, each of said links being angularly bent to form end cranks and to form a central crank-lever; an angularly-formed shoesupport on each of said end cranks; a vertically-disposed lever upon said sustaining-bar having an upper end pivotally mounted upon said slidably-mounted tongue; links placed end to end each having an outer end connected with one of said central crank-levers their inner ends being connected with the lower end of said vertically-disposed lever; brake-shoes having concave contact-surfaces and curved head-surfaces and mounted eccentrically upon said angularly-formed shoe-supports; a transversely-disposed tongue-rod on said slidably-mounted tongue and seated within the slots of said hounds.

3 A wheel-brake for vehicles, in combination, comprising a front axle, slotted front hounds connected by a sustaining-bar extending substantially parallel with said axle; an apertured tongue slidably mounted be tween said hounds, a tongue-rod passing transversely through the aperture of said tongue and having outer ends seated Within the slots of the hounds, a link extending on each side of and substantially parallel with said front axle, each of said links being angularly bent to form end cranks and to form a U-shaped lever at its center; angularly-disposed shoe-supports formed on said end cranks of said links; a vertically-disposed lever mounted upon the sustaining-bar having an upper end pivotally mounted upon the tongue-rod within the aperture of said tongue; links placed end to end each having an outer end connected with one of said U- shaped levers their inner ends being connected with the lower end of said verticallydisposed lever; and brake-shoes mounted upon said angularly-disposed shoe-supports.

4. A wheel-brake for vehicles, in combination, comprising a front axle, slotted front hounds connected by a sustaining-bar extending substantially parallel with said axle; an apertured tongue slidably mounted between said hounds, a tongue-rod passing transversely through the aperture of said tongue and having outer ends seated within the slots of the hounds; a link extending on each side of and substantially parallel with said front axle, each of said links being angularly bent to form end cranks and to form a U-shaped lever at its center; angularly-disposed shoe-supports formed on said end cranks of said links; a vertically-disposed lever mounted upon the sustaining-bar of said hounds having an upper end pivotally mounted upon the tongue-rod within the aperture of said tongue; links placed end to end each having an outer end connected with one of said U-shaped levers their inner ends being connected with the lower end of said vertioally-disposed lever; brake-shoes having concavedly-formed contaot-surfaces and curved head-surfaces and mounted eccentrically upon said angularly-disposed shoe-supports.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DAVID T. LOHNES. 

